Crib bumpers are not safety products for infants. If a baby gets a bumped head when turning over, it does not cause serious injury.

I gave birth to a son, my first child, two months ago and received several crib
sets that included “crib bumpers.” They are meant to prevent the baby from
hitting his head on the side of the bed. But as I have heard from friends that
they can be dangerous (possibly causing asphyxiation), I have not yet used them.
If they are risky, why are they are sold in all the baby supply shops? Are there
any official guidelines on crib bumpers?S.S., Tivon

Drora Navon, the
spokeswoman of Beterem, the National Center for Child Safety and Health,
responds: Crib bumpers are not safety products for infants. If a baby gets a
bumped head when turning over, it does not cause serious injury. But the bumpers
themselves can cause serious or even fatal injury if babies get tangled and
covered by them. They need not be used, and it is best not to use
them.

In the US, they are usually plumped up, thickly upholstered and
potentially dangerous.

If someone does insist on using them, make sure
they are thin and attach them carefully to the side of the crib. Make sure the
baby does not have access to the ties that connect them to the bed. It is
recommended to take the bumpers down when the baby is six months old, as that is
when he starts to move and tries to climb on them.

I am a 40-year-old man
and have just been diagnosed with lactose intolerance. I was advised by the
doctor to use lactase drops on milk products or chew tablets if I don’t avoid
them completely. I love white and yellow cheese, yogurt and other milk
products. The doctor did not give me much of an explanation of the
condition, and I have no relatives who have had it. Can it be prevented? Is
there any way I can continue somehow to enjoy milk products, as I hear the drops
are not very effective in reducing the side effects?C.T., Haifa

Judy
Siegel-Itzkovich comments: The September issue of Harefuah, the Hebrew-language
journal of the Israel Medical Association, published a new position paper by the
IMA on lactose intolerance. It answers your questions.

Lactose
intolerance is a syndrome that involves diarrhea, stomach cramps, bloating,
nausea and flatulence as the result of consuming lactose, a disaccharide milk
sugar formed from glucose and galactose. It occurs when the small intestine
fails to produce enough of the enzyme lactase; enzymes assist in the body’s
absorption of food, and lactose specifically in the absorption of milk sugars.
If not dealt with, the syndrome can possibly lead to weight loss and
malnutrition.

Lactose intolerance can occur at all ages. Even premature
babies sometimes have it. Full-term babies usually don’t show symptoms until
they are three years old or so. It can also appear suddenly in adults, but it
usually develops gradually, over a period of years. The most common age for it
to appear is at the end of adolescence.

If a person with the syndrome
does eat or drink milk products, the symptoms usually appear between half an
hour and two hours later. Usually, the larger the amount consumed, the worse the
symptoms.

Your doctor must check whether you are allergic to milk or
whether you have lactose intolerance. They are not the same.

Most people
with with inadequate supplies of natural lactase can drink up to half a cup of
milk without suffering symptoms. But there are other milk products that are
easier to digest than ordinary milk, so you are likely to be able to tolerate
more of these.

They include goat’s milk, yogurt, buttermilk, ice cream
and aged or hard cheeses. Soy or rice milk does not cause symptoms nor does
specially made lactose-free milk products.

It is advisable, if you eat
such products, to have them at a meal with other foods, as lactose is thus
released more gradually, easing the work of the digestive system.

As a
comparison, 1% and 3% fat milk contain the most – five grams of lactose per 100
grams of milk.

Consult a dietitian, as failure to
consume enough milk or milk products can result in a shortage of
calcium,
vitamin D, riboflavin and protein. You may need to take certain
supplements,
such as calcium pills or orange juice with added calcium. You can also
make up
for these deficiencies by eating leafy green vegetables, sardines,
broccoli and
canned salmon. An individual plan must be prepared for you.

Read food
labels, as lactose is also found in some non-milk products, including
some
beers. There is no known way to prevent lactose intolerance.

Rx for
Readers welcomes queries from readers about medical problems. Experts
will
answer those we find most interesting. Write Rx for Readers, The
Jerusalem Post,
POB 81, Jerusalem 91000, fax your question to Judy Siegel-Itzkovich at
(02)
538-952 or e-mail it to jsiegel@jpost.com, giving your initials, age and
place
of residence.

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